Yahoo CEO plans on returning to work only 2 Weeks after Birth of Twin Girls

She sparked controversy in 2012 when she returned to work just 2 weeks after giving birth to her son. Now, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer plans on taking a short 2 week maternity leave again despite expecting twin girls.

Though the official maternity leave for Yahoo is 16 weeks, Marissa had this to say via her Tumblr page;

With great happiness, Zack and I have some exciting news to share – I’m pregnant! In fact, I’m expecting identical twin girls, likely arriving in December. The twins part was quite a surprise, because I have no family history of twins or any other predisposing factors. However, as I’ve now learned, identical twins occur by random chance in roughly 1 out of approximately every 300 pregnancies. Zack and I have embraced the surprise and are very excited about these new additions to our family.

Since my pregnancy has been healthy and uncomplicated and since this is a unique time in Yahoo’s transformation, I plan to approach the pregnancy and delivery as I did with my son three years ago, taking limited time away and working throughout. I’ve shared the news and my plans with Yahoo’s Board of Directors and my executive team, and they are incredibly supportive and happy for me. I want to thank them for all of their encouragement as well as their offers of help and continued support.

40 year old Mayer is one of the leading female CEOs in the world and her decision is once again sparking a major discussion. Some are commending her on not allowing her personal life interrupt her work while others are criticising her decision for setting unrealistic expectations for new mothers.

42 Comments
on Yahoo CEO plans on returning to work only 2 Weeks after Birth of Twin Girls

dexSeptember 2, 2015 at 5:05 am

E easy? “Unrealistic expectations for new mothers” u cn follow but bear in mind that she has a driver, cook, cleaner and possibly two nannies to care for her kids. Bt sincerely it wud stl b stressful unless she wouldnt breast feed in anyway

When those two babies drop, she will quickly realize, her expectation is unrealistic. She’s just saying that right now trying to prove how strong she is as a woman or how dedicated she is to her job. Which ever way, it’s not going to happen.

She’s not thinking of unexpected medical complication or her babies born prematurely who might stay at the hospital longer than two weeks.

Even akara sellers in Lagos return to work immediately under hot sun and walking around town. Why shouldn’t she do as sh wishes? Remember this is a press’s release to shareholders and she’s said what she wants. The fact that a gossip blog wrote about it doesn’t mean she should have had in mind that she’s setting unrealistic exoectations for the millions œ women reading this allover the world

But those akara sellers make that decision post birth. It depends on how a woman feels. My mom returned to work immediately after my younger sister but she made that decision after she felt like she was ok. My younger brother, it took her 4months due to complications.

I’ll smack this stupid chipper girl. Next time born the pikin at your desk sef.

PS I’ve seen people who return to work like it was a trip to the loo not the delivery bed, honest, one Hajiya whose wife was a doctor, and she was all wrapped up so you didn’t even know she was pregnant, then suddenly it’s she had a baby over the weekend lol
and
I’ve seen people return only after a long break. Many cultures recommend a serious bedrest sef, and celebrate after 40days that the woman is now free to hustle again. If I ever do the pregnancy thing, I intend to be a drama queen about it – 40days, milkshakes, greenleafyvegetables, massages, the whole set of privileges.

M&S’s Laura Wade Gery who as head of multi-channel is in charge of the retailer’s shops and online business, will take 4 months maternity leave. This is the kind of role model l want. Not this type trying to prove crap. Childbirth is no beans. Women like this set unrealistic precedents and make other women look bad. If u are in a position of authority with a voice, you should be speaking for other women. God forbid you report to Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer, your career is toast once you become pregnant. You had better be prepared to be on Prozac. I work for an organization that entiles me to 3 months mat leave and my six weeks annual leave if l choose to. I will surely be taking advantage. God help me, when l become a manager, l hope to be a voice.

I agree, bringing a human being into this world is the hardest thing anyone can do and I don’t know what this chick is trying to prove but I feel sorry for the women that work for her. If they try to take their 16 weeks, HR will shove this stupid example in their faces. And definitely, these women will not have the luxury of drivers, cooks, cleaners and nannies. *sigh, so sad.

She’s an insensitive goat by choosing not to milk her pregnant condition ( like some lazy goats who want 40 days bedrest and other ‘privileges’) but instead choosing to listen to her doctor and her body, and do what she wants with her life?

In all your talk about ‘the pregnancy thing’, not once did you mention staying at home to bond with your baby, yet you think you are better than the ‘stupid chipper girl’. Have several seats, and grow up while you are at it.

Lazy goats, 40 days bedrest, other privileges? Seriously? I can’t believe a woman just typed that. Even if you’ve not had the experience of having a new born baby yet, I expect you’ll have family or friends who have had that experience. I just have to laugh at your ignorance else I’ll be so angry right now.
Or do you mean pregnant women who have to be on bedrest for a while? I know you couldn’t have meant that. Just don’t go there at all.
This is exactly the problem women like the Yahoo CEO cause. They make other women who don’t have the provisions (and luck really) that they have seem lazy. I have to type this in caps. EVERY PREGNANCY IS DIFFERENT! EVERY WOMAN EXPERIENCES PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH IN DIFFERENT WAYS! THE FACT THAT ONE WOMAN HAD IT RELATIVELY EASY DOES NOT MAKE OTHER WOMEN LAZY.
Rant over

I LOVE LOVE THIS!!!! Yes! running an empire is different from a 9 to 5 job. She is doing what is best for her and her family. She is a CEO not the manager of a local grocery store! she did it before and shes going to do it again. Tosin why call her an insensitive goat, are you deranged? You think she would have become a CEO if she popped out babies every 2 years and took maternity leave for one year after each baby? Anyway that is why you’re not a CEO. Ask other female CEOs if they would have remained CEOs if they took the extended maternity leave period. She sets a precedence, that it is possible to do it all and well. Companies don’t have to be jittery when they consider women being CEOs anymore because Marissa has shown her job is super important to her. Companies can now choose females of child bearing age to run things rather than wait till they get to menopause or just choose men as usual. I love, love this woman and I have been keeping tabs on her and she never disappoints. Not every one goes into handicapped mode after they give birth. If youve no issues or complication and like to work, why not? Besides Meyer has the $$$$ to afford her children the best care.I would do the same if I were her. Again that is why she is a CEO and the rest of other “maternity leave forever” takers are not. I love you Marissa and I bet your girls would be just fine, like your boy is.

same thing i said except for the deranged part 🙂 I’m even angry with you sef.

she is an insensitive goat because what works for her may not work for her employees or for others, and she is (or appears) oblivious to the fact. she is an insensitive goat because like her formerly insensitive goat sister Lean In Sheryl over at facebook, it may take a terrible reminder like husband literally hitting his head and dying to turn her into a more philosophical person. (ps i like COO Sheryl just fine, a role model sef, but Lean In Sheryl, nope.)

the email i would have liked from her is not “i’m superwoman i’m hyper i’ve got the shareholders covered hehehe – goat laugh” (which we already know) but “i’m superwoman i’m hyper i’ve got y’all covered and i understand this is not traditional or best for most women.” Personally, I’m elite, I’ve known that forever, I can do whatever I want, take five years to breastfeed one baby if I like and still be the CEO of Dangote Group – yeah, don’t tempt me 🙂 But that doesn’t remove the fact that these options are not available to most other people who struggle…let me stop.

All because of ‘shareholder’, we no go hear word again.

I want chics to do everything they want to do, I just say cut the shoe to fit the leg, never cut the leg to fit the shoe. Always, when it comes to discrimination, don’t kill yourself, change society. Ask Europe how it handles the women question without driving its population to psycho medication. By cutting the shoe to fit the leg.

You can join in the larger debate elsewhere on the internet if you like feminist stuff sha.

Thank you for this comment. That is why she is a CEO and them other women still work at Walmart. Prove to the men that even if child birth isn’t an easy feat, women should still not be side tracked because of it. Plus she can afford to do so, so please she should go ahead and do. For Madam 9-5 you know your Apa Is not ka for such a thing why will you now be bothered ontop “unrealistic expectations”??

Her womb, her choice. I don’t know why people like to attribute their own life choices to other people. This woman is doing what works for her and her family, nothing tells me she is forcing her employees to follow suit so what is the big deal. Nawa.

“Setting unrealistic expectations for other mothers”? Are those mothers brainless, don’t they know their capabilities. They should do what they can and allow her to do what she wants. Why has the world suddenly become to ‘offended’ by trivial things while allowing things like corruption, hunger, war, terrorism and the likes to happen like it’s a norm?

Can we be sensible here? We’re not talking about the expectations by the mothers but by their employers. Look at it this way, a top female director of Yahoo or another company may be literally incapable of returning to work after two weeks, e.g if it was birth by CS. The problem is the Yahoo CEO makes it look like other women who stay home for a while are being lazy. Just as Tosin said, if she had taken her time to clearly state that she can do this based on her circumstances but other women may not be able to do the same, there won’t be any problem.

I dont understand why people are callng her out. Whether you admit it or not, its a man’s world and in this situation where a woman happens to be leading and in charge of an empire, she can not allow herself to slip. Please bear in mind she is not asking you to imitate or is she setting any silly precedence, she is only protecting her interests and possibly invesments.

As a ceo, im pretty sure she has invested sweat, emotions and time in this job and isnt going to let all this just slip away. Nowadays that we are having master degree holders at 19, sharks are everywhere looking for the slightest opening to swoop in and take your job.

Who knows, she might return to work but might not be present at her desk 24/7 coupled with the fact, as someone pointed out earlier, she might have legions of day nurses, night nurses, drivers e.t.c.

Please, i support her actions. To each his/her own. If you got the resources to make it work, hian, maximize na

It seems social media gives people a false idea that they can dictate what one should do with his/her life. It is her life, she has done it before and she will do it again. Deal with it.

IF she is setting a standard it will be for other female CEOs(take note) and any woman who has risen to that CEO level in life must be intelligent enough to know that Marrissa cannot set a standard for them.

Well coming from a woman who made $42 million in 2014, I’m not surprised. She can pretty much afford to sleep at work if she wanted to and have enough hands helping her with the kids. Obviously, no average woman should compare herself to her. Ladies biko, use that maternity leave if you have it. Lol

That would have been the assumption if only she hadn’t cancelled the work from home policy for all yahoo employees when she assumed her role. So now she can’t fall back on that even if she was dying to, she will have to come to the office. Na she sabi.

Hmmm, tough cookie! Whatever rocks your boat sister!
Every woman is different. Every pregnancy&recovery is different.
I know a woman whose mean lecturer refused to reschedule her exams, so she had her baby (it was her 2nd time), got back to school, wrote her exam and ran back to the hospital on the same day! (Women are stronger than they think o)
I personally would chill wella before going back to work sha, I cannot kill myself biko! Plus bonding and exclusive things too.

I am sure returning to work for her is not waking up @ 5 am to join the lagos traffic and hustle. She would have the priviledge of working from home if she so desires, at work; an office she can pump breast milk while reading through e mails and listening to classical music. At nights different sets of nannies to pick up the little ones when they wake up. To each his kaya, i wish her the best

It’s easy for her to return to work when she had a nursery build in her office…that’s how she returned to work when she had her 1st. I remember all the controversary of her not allowing her employers to telework from home…but she came back to work with a new born in the office.

WHOAAAAAAAAAAAA before you go calling people out of their names, please do your research! Did you grow up in Nigeria or are you a product of Western sensibilities? In Nigeria, when a woman gave birth, she was allowed at least 30 days to rest which is why her mother or mother in law will install herself in the house to do the cooking, washing, cleaning and taking care of the other children if there were any. The body goes through very severe trauma carrying a child for nine months (and even much more if there are other health concerns like preclamsia, diabetes, lupus etc) and going through labor.

Marissa Mayer is entitled to do what is best for her life, it is a known fact that women who have risen up to a certain level in the business world which is overrun by men MUST operate under a different rule. They have to show that their personal life will not disrupt their productivity level or face losing respect and/or their position. My only wish would be for her to keep her announcements to herself, write that ish in an email to your employees/investors and keep the general public out of it because it does more harm than good. It is bad enough women cannot obtain paid maternity leave, some are forced back to work before they are fully recovered due to financial issues which she does not suffer from and now employees can use her as an example for why they can refuse to allow a woman to take extended time to care for herself AND bond with her offspring. All situations are NOT the same, some women NEED those 3 months to get right physically, EMOTIONALLY (post partum is a B%$&H if you don’t know) and mentally.